Motherhood definitely turned my whole world around last year. She introduced me to a kind of love I never knew I could ever feel. It can be beautiful, fun, scary, overwhelming, and changes you in ways you didn’t know were possible. As my sister always says, “it’ll humble you!” That’s for sure. Should we go into the obscene amount of baby sneezes and coughs I’ve swallowed, or the fact that I’ve had to clean baby poop out of a bathtub? Nah? Okay, maybe another time.

The first year of motherhood taught me a lot of lessons, but one of the biggest ones is to fully accept the “new normal.” It’s hard sometimes, but trying to neatly fit your old life into your new one often ends up in chaos and frustration. Reflecting back on the year, one of the most common themes seemed to be self-doubt. Being a new parent, it’s easy to constantly second guess what you’re doing. This theme in my personal life seemed to seep into my professional life and it really wore me down physically and mentally. I’m still learning, adjusting, adapting, but I wouldn’t trade the new normal for anything. My plan this year is simple: cherish these beautiful moments, ask lots of questions, and get some fresh air.

Here’s what’s next for Dina’s Days

As for Dina’s Days: the blogging and thrifting community has evolved in the last couple of years in ways I did not see coming! When I started blogging 10 years ago, the thrifting scene did not look like the way it does today. We’re actually starting to see the needle move on expanding and growing the secondhand scene, and thanks to Instagram and YouTube, we’ve all had a platform to share and connect with one another.

A podcast!

So, with that in mind we launched a podcast! Allow Us to Rethriftrodeuce Ourselves is a podcast I co-host with my long-time friend and thrifting companion, Shannon. I felt like after all of these years of blogging about thrift shopping, it was time to take the conversation to a new platform, and re-thriftroduce myself, if you will. Every week, we will share our stories, tips, finds, and whatever is happening in our lives at the moment. This podcast is fun because it gives me an opportunity to open up a bit more than I do on social media and engage with my readers in a new way.

Collaboration with Goodwill

Goodwill and I just wrapped up our 12 Months of Thrifting challenge series and we will be focusing a lot more on showcasing my favorite stores in the coming year. I’ll be hosting more events and meet ups including a shopping event for Valentine’s Day, and I’ll be curating spaces for them in their stores to make shopping fun – all with the goal of growing the secondhand community. We will also be bringing back some of the workshops we used to host before I took time off to focus on family, covering topics such as how to build a sustainable and functional wardrobe, and more. I’ll also continue to host popups at the boutique several times a year.

Thrift Product Line!

In other big news, this spring, Dina’s Days will be launching a new line of thrifting merchandise! You all know I love a good thrifting pun, so the initial collection will feature a line of products with my favorite thrifting phrases. Please keep an eye on this space and Instagram for more.